


in my scarecrow dreams

by xylomylo



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 04:42:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17419283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xylomylo/pseuds/xylomylo
Summary: "go home, kid." she waves goodbye. folds her fan, and the last thing she remembers of that girl is her staring blankly, before she makes herself disappear in a wall of flames she'd made sure the girl would never remember.





	in my scarecrow dreams

**Author's Note:**

> loosely inspired by 'a korean odyssey', which i was lowkey obsessed with while travelling last year. i cant believe it took me this long to finally get it out so here it is!!! also i am really way too long winded for my own good. @ people who i talked to while writing this, thank you & i hope you spot your contributions!! :)
> 
> also title from coldplay's charlie brown uwu because i AM A COLDPLAY STAN.

she's there, crying. kneeling in a puddle of her son's blood, holding his dead body. the indent on his skull is obvious even from the distance - every scream of anguish is another knife straight to jeongyeon's heart, and she balls her own hands into fists. wills herself to not cry.

 

it rains, pouring. no one stops to care for the mother and child, because people are selfish. sympathy gets you nowhere. only brings about more pain, and no one has time for that kind of bullshit. this world is a shitty hell hole and it's times like this jeongyeon  _ really  _ hates humans. wants all of humanity to perish, because that's all they are - selfish. and stupid. 

 

"how many times has it been?" the voice is soft, and suddenly there's an umbrella over her. mina's hand rests on her shoulder, tendrils of energy from her palm warming her. drying her clothes. 

 

"seven." jeongyeon's eyes don't leave the woman. seven times, and it's still as painful. she vaguely remembers locking herself away after the first time, because it was too much to bear. froze over her entire apartment, until nayeon'd barged in and slapped her. hard. and had set everything on fire. seven lifetimes is a really long time, especially if you're a deity - jeongyeon misses her every single day. 

 

the rain is unforgiving. but even in her reincarnated human form, jihyo is breathtaking. she looks exactly the same. in the dreams that haunt jeongyeon. in the memories she'd kept locked away in her energy marbles. it's always raining when it happens - as though the old angels are sending a message. as though jeongyeon needs a reminder. 

 

but then jihyo suddenly stops crying. looks up. stares right into jeongyeon's eyes, and jeongyeon thinks she stops breathing altogether. there are wrinkles on her once unblemished skin, proof of the stress she'd gone through in this lifetime. just like the others. cursed to live the same life nine times, in which they all end with her watching her child die, before taking her own life. a punishment jihyo had only agreed to because it meant that jeongyeon would be spared. 

 

typical jihyo. always looking out for others. never herself. it's no wonder she'd earned the title of being their 'queen mother'. 

 

jeongyeon takes a step forward. wants to pull jihyo into an embrace. to tell her how sorry she is. how sorry she's been, and that everything's going to be okay. because jihyo looks so small and fragile like this every single time. a queen, having to live the tragic life of a human destined to fail again and again - it's the utmost disgrace and disrespect. to anyone. the anger is dormant, but always at jeongyeon's fingertips. then is reminded that it remains true: that there is nothing she can do about it.

 

mina's hand presses down a little harder. "you know she can't see you. not while she's human." then checks her watch. the black hand points to the left - someone with a black hat approaches from the far distance. it smells a little like death. she suppresses a shudder.

 

"i think we should go now," she says, softer this time. it almost gets carried away by the wind. "before the grim reaper arrives. you're not supposed to be here." 

 

jeongyeon's jaw tightens. takes one last look at jihyo, and the blood tainting her purity and elegance - and vows to be stronger. for the both of them, because this is not the end. this will not be the end, because they were promised forever, and forever is all that she's left to hold onto. even if it seems so far away. 

 

she turns around. grabs mina's hand resolutely, and they disappear into the crowd. 

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


tzuyu takes a step back. admires her hard work. then smiles, because finally - she'd got all of her cacti to face the front. at equal distance from each other, too. the first one had been a gift from nayeon. mainly as a joke, because  _ not everyone can appreciate inner beauty  _ or whatever that's supposed to mean. the second one she'd bought on a whim, and it sort of spiralled out of control because who knew they were so cute? and came in so many different shapes and sizes? stupid nayeon. stupid forest fire. 

 

then the temperature in the room drops, and she feels goosebumps all over her skin. she turns. there's a flash of blue light, and right in the middle of it is jeongyeon - looking like she'd walked right out of a manga with her platinum blond hair whipping around in the wind. the floor around the other girl starts frosting immediately, and tzuyu rolls her eyes.

 

"stop that, or you're going to have to clean it up." she grumbles. jeongyeon only blinks, before her face crumples into the laughter tzuyu's missed hearing, and she feels her own lips tugging upwards in response. the air warms a little, and she's suddenly in jeongyeon's embrace. seeing jeongyeon always puts her in a good mood because jeongyeon is fun and  -

 

the rumble of the thunder outside reminds her of the reason she'd called for jeongyeon, and tzuyu pulls away. remembers her task. but jeongyeon's always one step ahead of her despite being a deity.

 

"if this is about the forest fire - "

 

"it is," tzuyu cuts in. feels the eyes of the old angels watching her. they're always watching, waiting, making sure she never strays from her duty - to protect humans, even after all the terrible things they've done. "i need your help." 

 

she snaps her fingers, and the glass wall on the other side turns into a screen. there's a live telecast of the forest fire, showing how various teams of firefighters are working hard to stop the fire, but to no avail - because this isn't a regular fire. this has  _ nayeon  _ written all over it, and tzuyu knows by the mirth in jeongyeon's eyes that the other girl knows it too -

 

jeongyeon snorts. tzuyu tries to hide her own smile. there's another clap of thunder, and the blonde-haired girl clears her throat. 

 

"isn't she still under house arrest?" she frowns. then snorts again. "she must have figured out a way to use her powers from inside. i'm impressed." 

 

tzuyu shrugs. "beats me. the wind fan is in her house, and it's the only thing that can put out the fire - "

 

"but no one's allowed to enter, right?" jeongyeon quips. "the last time i tried to visit i ended up in some sort of time warp and mina had to get me out." she shakes her head vigorously. "there's no way i'm going through that again - "

 

"not you, silly," tzuyu chides. "a human, of course." 

 

the thunder rumbles louder this time, and the lightning that flashes outside stamps an acknowledgement on the bleak future that is to come.

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


the forest is a mess. jeongyeon stands at the east entrance. watches the angry flames swallow yet another square meter of shrubs, and sighs. the west entrance was already completely burnt - leaving behind smoke so black it could be seen all the way across town. the fire is blazing, and uncontrollable at best - just like nayeon herself. 

 

jeongyeon smiles. as annoying as nayeon could be, it's been what, a hundred years? maybe less than that. life on earth is starting to stagnate, and she'd missed the older girl's crazy antics even though they'd ended up fighting most of the time. being under house arrest for five hundred years was a little too much, but the old angels were nothing but unforgiving and old fashioned and well. at least she'd got to keep her status as a deity, and -

 

"what's that?" there's a finger prodding into her thigh, and jeongyeon looks down. it's a little girl. five, maybe six. decked in her school uniform, her backpack almost as big as her entire frame. she smiles, front teeth missing, and points to the cane in jeongyeon’s left hand. oh.

 

"it's a stick." she caresses the blue snowflake right at the top. "it helps me fight bad guys." 

 

the girl stares at her, a little too seriously. as though contemplating something a five year old shouldn't. "can i help you? my grandmother says we have to do our part to fight bad guys." 

 

jeongyeon tilts her head. looks around briefly, because what kind of grandmother lets a child wander alone? it's dangerous, and they're near a fire raging out of control - this is exactly why she  _ hates  _ humans. 

 

  
oh. a human.   


 

"what's your name?" she squats down. levels with the little girl. thinks of how to not come across as someone scary, because as pathetic as it sounds, she's putting the fate of the world in the hands of a human. and history has proven time and time again that it's always a bad idea. 

 

"i'm kim dahyun." 

 

"okay, kim dahyun," jeongyeon holds her shoulders. they're so tiny. fragile. "you want to help fight the bad guys, right?" squashes down the surprise at dahyun's overenthusiastic series of nods, and reminds herself that it's just the naivety that comes with being young. "see that house over there? the one with the white roof?" she turns. "there's an old lady in there who's very, very lonely, and you have to help her get out. she'll help us fight the bad guys."

 

"but why can't you come with me?" dahyun asks. "if the old lady is lonely then she'd be happy to have more company."

 

jeongyeon shakes her head. "only good girls like you can enter. i'll wait for you here, okay?" pats dahyun's head. to which dahyun grins - bright, innocent, and reminds jeongyeon of nayeon. of jihyo. of all of them. what they used to be before the old angels went mad and decided to ruin them all. 

 

she watches dahyun leave. watches her walk further and further away, into the forest, and eventually disappear - before turning around and walking off in the other direction.

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


waiting is not nayeon's forte. never has been, and never will - you'd think after a hundred years or so she'd learn something. but not when she'd  _ finally  _ figured out how to get past the magic boundaries set in her damn house. after a hundred years. she's happy, angry, and mostly just wants to... get out. by the fastest way possible - drawing attention. a lot of it.

 

it shouldn't be taking this long. the forest is already dying, and a part of her feels sorry for destroying it. but then remembers that if it were a hundred years ago, momo could have easily revived it all. none of the living on earth bullshit and having to co-exist as part of some prophecy no one knew existed - until one of the old angels literally descended from the sky, announced it, and left - leaving behind a whole bunch of white feathers to clean up. at least she'd made something useful out of it. like the wind fan that sits across the room. 

 

then she hears it. there are soft knocks on the front door and nayeon's eyes flit over. waits. it opens, hinges creaking with years of disuse, and nayeon readies herself. feels the familiar surge of energy in her as her hands heat up, fireball ready to be thrown at the old angel's guard who's about to drag her sorry ass back -

 

"hello?" 

 

nayeon extinguishes the fireball immediately. wow. the girl who enters is tiny, and terrifyingly human. now she'd have to live with the fact that she'd almost torched this little girl. who is smiling up at her with her two front teeth missing. how cute. 

 

"are you the old lady who lives here?" she asks, waving. her skin is so pale nayeon briefly considers the possibility of her being  _ not  _ human, and her hand is so small nayeon can't help but think how  _ easy  _ it would be to crush it -

 

wait, what?

 

"i -  _ what? _ " nayeon narrows her eyes.

 

"i'm here to help the old lady get out," the girl continues, unflinching. "so she can help us fight the bad guys!" then sticks out her fist in a small hurrah, and nayeon is so, so confused. 

 

" 'us'? who's with you? who sent you here? where are your parents?" the questions tumble out effortlessly. is this what happens to people who've been deprived of social interactions? also being called old by a human after spending a hundred years locked up  _ because  _ of them? how rude. 

 

"there's a lady outside waiting." the girl frowns. "she had a stick. with a snowflake on top."

 

_ snowflake?  _ nayeon's eyes widen. jeongyeon's up to something. always scheming. she'd forgotten about humans being able to enter. but it was still a way out, and she's  _ definitely  _ taking it. another minute in this damn house and she might just set the whole town on fire. it's not like she's been dreaming about this day. for a hundred years. planning an escape of sorts. 

 

"yes, it's me," she puffs up her chest. "i'm the old lady. now get me out. see the lighted candle over there?" nayeon points to the table. "all you have to do is to blow on it." 

 

the girl nods, determined. walks up to the table, but -

 

"wait," nayeon crouches down. remembers the words once said out loud, shackling her to the house. sealed by a bolt of lightning. "if you let me out, i have to give you something in return. is there anything you want?" 

 

the little girl blinks. thinks. then looks at nayeon with eyes so bright it's as though she'd thought of something to laud over nayeon's head for  _ years - _

 

_ " _ whenever i'm sad, you have to hug me and kiss it away, like my mother does. i'll do the same for you!" she giggles. puts her hands on nayeon's face and kisses her nose. "now you can be free, old lady."

 

something in her heart turns. tightens a little, but nayeon brushes it off. smiles and points at the candle, and the girl takes a deep breath and blows. the effect is instantaneous. the tattoo bindings on her wrists start disappearing. fading. this is it. she's finally free. 

 

the house starts disintegrating, too. there's a hole in the roof that gets bigger and bigger. the walls get eaten by the sunlight, and nayeon basks in all its glory - feels her body regaining its inner strength. she's pretty sure her eyes are glowing gold, but she doesn't care because she's  _ free _ . 

 

"you're free!" the voice snaps her back into reality, and the little girl is still there. smiling. nayeon doesn't know what to do. there's no way she can hold up her end of the deal, because close contact with humans wasn’t allowed - not when she's under constant supervision - and how was she supposed to tell the girl that no, there wouldn't be anyone waiting for her back at the entrance of the forest? 

 

she snaps her fingers. watches as the little girl's eyes shift out of focus. there's a bead of memory pulled from her mind, drifting in the air, right into nayeon's palm. 

 

"i'm sorry, kid. go home. find your grandmother." she ends up saying. snaps her fingers again, and there's a fan in her hand. made up of the whitest and purest of feathers. a casual flick of her wrist, and the flames in the forest are extinguished - but neither of them see it. the last of the house disappears into nothing but thin air, and nayeon's left standing with the girl in the part of the forest that she'd left untouched. on purpose.

 

"go home, kid." she waves goodbye. folds her fan, and the last thing she remembers of that girl is her staring blankly, before she makes herself disappear in a wall of flames she'd made sure the girl would never remember.

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


this time, jihyo has short hair. jeongyeon thinks it makes her look even prettier. but everything else is the same - the rain pelting down on them, the dead child in her arms, her heart wrenching screams of agony and pain that no one else seems to hear, but jeongyeon herself. 

 

she adjusts her hat. pulls it a little lower against the harsh wind - it's getting colder these days. something she's not supposed to be feeling - but chalks it up to the prophecy. the end of the world, or something. how vague. no one knows how much longer they have to stay on earth. not even chou tzuyu, the almighty - the middle man (woman) between the deities and the old angels, because they never trust outsiders. how stupid. 

 

"five more minutes," she says. to no one in particular. maybe the old angels, if they were listening. the grim reaper has yet to arrive. it's been happening more and more often, the messing up of schedules - something's happening up there, and given how things have been - it probably wasn't going to be anything good. for them, at least. everything's been in favour of the humans these days. 

 

mina isn't here today. she's busy with the new interns, like the start of every year, for the past twenty years. jeongyeon sighs. maybe the only good thing about being able to live out many mortal lives would be her trying to take on the funniest professions. like starting an entertainment company. she'd ditched that old company and celebrated her 'death' - which coincidentally overlapped with nayeon's prison break, and forced them to lay even lower. 

 

then there's a small silence. jihyo stops crying. jeongyeon braces herself, and when jihyo looks up, jeongyeon thinks she falls, again. it's like she's back at the gardens, where she'd met jihyo for the first time. soaking up the sun. tending to the azaleas, because it was in season and they were in full bloom. when jihyo had smiled at her like the glowing stardust she dreams about every single day. 

 

_ soon,  _ jeongyeon reminds herself.  _ soon,  _ she wants to tell jihyo. just once more, and never again. the asphalt beneath her feet freezes over, and jeongyeon takes a deep breath. people are already giving her weird looks, and it's her cue to go before shit happens. like her losing her temper and causing a blizzard. 

 

but her phone starts vibrating, and jeongyeon takes it as an excuse to leave - not before turning around for one last time, and wishes it were her instead of jihyo. 

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


"what in the world," jeongyeon's voice drops, "did you do?"

 

"nothing!" nayeon yells, tightening her hold on the cat in her arms. whiskers. the office cat she'd unofficially named, because the idiot who named him 'kitty' deserves to be incinerated. "what makes you think it was me! there's like, everyone else." gestures to everyone in the bullpen, and they all avert their eyes quicker than she can blink. how  _ dare  _ they not stand up for her - 

 

"mina?" jeongyeon pinches the bridge of her nose. "where's mina?" she looks around. glares at nayeon - 

 

"she's still with the interns."

 

the bullpen falls silent, save for the rapid clacking of keys and the huge elephant in the room. but jeongyeon only stares at the ground, and at the crazy whirring of the photocopier, and nayeon thinks that she  _ may  _ be able to escape. the door to her office is about three meters away, and if she takes really small steps maybe jeongyeon will be too busy fuming to notice her slipping away. perfect.

 

she takes a step to the left. jeongyeon is still figuring out what to do without mina around. what a loser. another step, and she feels whiskers tremble slightly in her arms. then strokes the back of his ears slowly, because there's nothing to be afraid of - underneath jeongyeon's tough and usually grumpy facade is a huge softie, and there's probably no one else who knows the other girl as well as she does. 

 

well. it works both ways, because on her third step jeongyeon somehow magically appears right where she was moving towards, and they collide. it's very ungraceful. whiskers yelps, leaping out of her arms, and nayeon finds herself on the ground with jeongyeon looking down at her. 

 

"are you going to tell me what happened?" she holds up a paper threateningly. it's from the photocopier, which is still whirring and printing out the same damn thing - a picture of four paws. it's in colour, and surprisingly clear - technology never fails to amaze nayeon. she smiles, but jeongyeon is not impressed.

 

"i don't know!" she sits up. "i found whiskers on the photocopier. then i made a copy for fun, and now it won't stop printing. how is it  _ my _ fault?" nayeon pouts. calls out for whiskers, but he's elusive as always and appears only when he wants to. damn it.  

 

"fix. it." jeongyeon throws the now wadded up paper at her face before storming off, and nayeon is left in a heap of paw prints. it's just another day at the office. someone kindly offers to pull out the power of the photocopier, and nayeon stands up just in time to bow sheepishly. maybe she feels a little embarrassed - she's the vice-president after all, and the title itself comes with an image to uphold. something about professionalism. something she's probably forgotten about. 

 

her phone pings. she has twenty-one unread emails since leaving her office ten minutes ago. such is the sad life of im nayeon, goddess of fire - being confined to live out a sad human life. learning how to be a human. experiencing emotions like  _ embarrassment - _ who would've thought. learning how to manage people was fun only because it was jeongyeon's company, and she could mostly do whatever she'd wanted to. but im nayeon is anything but ungrateful, and so she'd swore to work hard and stay on the down low, because jeongyeon was the one who'd orchestrated her prison break. technically. 

 

("why'd you do it?" nayeon munches on her salad. a pathetic excuse of human food, which doesn't seem to fill her stomach the slightest. "help me escape, i mean. you've been forced to lay low because of me."

 

jeongyeon shrugs. "earth was getting boring." stirs her tea. "maybe i missed you." 

 

then the pantry falls eerily silent, and - "oh my god. are you crying?")

 

the thunder rumbles. it sounds like a disapproval, and nayeon rolls her eyes.  _ they're _ always making a point, the ones up there. but then she reminds herself that they're in this together, jeongyeon and her, and jihyo, too - all they have to do is to wait out the inevitable. 

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


dahyun is exhausted. it's only day one, and she's already knee deep in regrets. juggling college and an internship is definitely going to be overkill, and she's not entirely sure how she's going to survive. but then chaeyoung bursts out laughing - loud and uncaring, and there's a piece of paper in her hands.

 

"what's that?" she looks over. it's a... cat paw? many cat paws. then looks to the island on the other side of the pantry, and sees many more of the same copy scattered all over. 

 

"it's a copycat," chaeyoung's dimple shows. pauses for dramatic effect, before giggling a little softer this time - mindful of the other people around. "get it? someone made a copy of a cat! it's a copy _ cat _ ."

 

"i get the joke, thank you very much," dahyun rolls her eyes. but laughs anyway because what kind of company has photocopies of cat paws lying all over their pantry? three hours in and she's already amazed - for a top notch entertainment company, they're obviously rich - over-the-top furnishings, too many plush leather couches, but the employees are really friendly. not what she'd expected. like miss myoui, who took them out to lunch right after orientation, and told them some of the funniest escapades that'd happened in the office - most of which involved their president and vice-president. 

 

yoo jeongyeon and im nayeon. childhood best friends who dreamt of starting their own company together. the standard tom and jerry dynamics, according to miss myoui. makes for a lot of laughter and fun amidst the occasional stress out. maybe it wouldn't be that bad after all. maybe they'd be able to breeze through the internship, and attend lectures and study for finals and finish all her assignments -

 

"dahyun?" miss myoui appears in the doorway, long brown hair just a tiny bit distracting. "you'll be attached to the vice-president." then gestures for dahyun to follow. "i'll introduce you and then you can get to work. she'll fill you in on the rest." she smiles, small and friendly and dahyun finds it a little difficult to tear her eyes away to wave goodbye to chaeyoung. friendship is forever, but discreet gawking at the president's secretary? very, very fleeting. 

 

miss im's office is huge. has a great view of the city, and is also messy. her table is buried in stacks of papers - dahyun's not sure she can even see the table anymore. miss myoui leaves after the briefest of introductions because of her crazy schedule, and it's just her and the vice-president. who doesn't look a day over twenty, and also happens to be drop dead gorgeous. what the heck. 

 

"call me nayeon. miss im makes me sound really old." nayeon sticks out her hand. dahyun takes it, firm and steady and ready to impress - 

 

there's a lull. it's like time slowing down all of a sudden, and all dahyun can feel in her hand is fire. hot, scalding heat that burns into her palm. but she can't pull away. the flames lick their way straight to the void in her chest that she's kept hidden all these years - the emptiness she would feel on some days, the inexplicable bouts of crying and sadness. as though missing something.

 

nayeon's eyes flash gold. or maybe dahyun's seeing things. but nayeon looks like she's seen a ghost, and dahyun doesn't know what to do. the heat intensifies, together with the shock on the older girl's face -

 

it explodes. they fly apart. dahyun finds herself being thrown back into the wall, with nayeon on the ground on the opposite side of her office. the heat is gone, together with the pain - but the emptiness is back in full force and clouding her mind.

 

then there's bright lightning just outside the window, and nayeon's face inching closer to hers is the last thing she remembers before everything goes black. 

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


there's something about the past always coming back to bite her in the ass. nayeon hates it. aren't they supposed to  _ grow  _ and learn and be better deities? learning humility and all that jazz? she swears it's just the old angels making things extra difficult for her.

 

like now. like how she has kim dahyun passed out on her couch, running an extreme fever. it's been hours since that fateful handshake, and they'd both felt  _ something  _ \- a surge of energy in the room too much for humans to bear, and the ice cold fear that had nayeon in a chokehold afterwards was something she'd hope to never experience again. she'd forgot how fragile the human body is.

 

all she had wanted was an assistant. someone to help her with scheduling appointments and meetings, and meeting her respective deadlines. of the seven billion humans living on earth, the one that walked through her door  _ just _ had to be the one she'd totally forgot about. the one she'd broke a promise to. 

 

nayeon sighs. adjusts the cold towel on dahyun's forehead. that stupid handshake must have triggered something. helped her remember. the memory's fresh in her mind. plays with that stupid sepia filter that makes everything more dramatic than it needs to be, and the words that echo in her ears from time to time. 

 

maybe this was it. an opportunity to pay back her debt. for not holding up her end of the deal for the last twenty years or so. maybe this way she'll finally live up to her own words. because the last thing she needs is to be responsible for the death of another human.

 

but then the energy in her living room changes, and nayeon snaps to attention. braces herself -

 

there's a loud snap, and tzuyu is standing right beside her coffee table. nayeon is alert, every hair on the back of her neck standing. visits from the almighty were never good (at least, not anymore since they’d graduated) - the last time she'd seen tzuyu was right before her house arrest. it's been centuries, and the almighty still manages to look exactly the same. but her smile is a little easier today, and it makes nayeon drop her guard when she remembers that tzuyu's just doing her job. just like they all are. just like she is. 

 

"jeongyeon tells me you're starting a cacti farm," nayeon raises an eyebrow. "how's my cactus doing?" she flops down on the armchair. pulls out the recliner, and relaxes into the leather. ah. remembers the good old days. remembers herself casually picking up a cactus on the way to court just because she had nothing better to do, and ended up giving it to tzuyu because it was on sale. maybe it would remind the almighty of her presence while she was locked away.

 

tzuyu grins. "great, of course. i mean, i'm the one taking care of it." moves to sit beside nayeon on the other armchair. "it wouldn't have survived this long if you grew it." stretches her neck. "i got momo to help too, so they're doing really well."

 

of course. momo and her altruism. and her affinity with anything plant related. at this rate the cacti would be immortal. just like them. and living a life longer than the average human. how cute. 

 

they fall into a comfortable silence. no one wants to talk about the real reason why tzuyu's here, or why nayeon has her assistant passed out on her couch. but tzuyu cracks first, because her watch beeps - probably a reminder of sorts, and she exhales. loudly. turns to nayeon. opens her palm - there's a tiny black pill.

 

"give this to her," tzuyu says. extends her hand such that the pill is right in front of nayeon. "she'll be fine. you need to stop worrying. maybe you'll get fewer wrinkles if you do." then rolls her eyes and dumps it in nayeon's palm forcefully because the other girl is way too skeptical for her own good. a dumbass. 

 

"is this from the pharmacy?" nayeon frowns. black pills are so dodgy. but tzuyu is still staring at her like she's an idiot, so she takes the pill. moves over to a sleeping dahyun, and drops it between her lips. it dissolves, slowly - essence seeping into her skin and bloodstream, and then it's gone. now all that's left is to wait. 

 

"stop worrying. she'll wake up in an hour or so." tzuyu pats her shoulder. it's soft, but strong, and nayeon is reminded of the all the times she'd relied on tzuyu. be it during their younger days, or being put through hell - the almighty wasn't the almighty if she didn't walk through hell with a smile on her face. and that's something nayeon herself could never do.

 

they hug. "it was nice seeing you." she mumbles into tzuyu’s shoulder. nayeon tries not to be too emotional. the other girl grimaces, but kisses her cheek anyway. then pulls away and disappears in a huge cloud of smoke that has nayeon coughing her lungs out.

 

"and  _ i'm  _ the drama queen?"

  
  
  


/  

  
  


there's an earthquake. it's splitting right down the center of her forehead, and everything hurts. jeongyeon rubs her temples. it's been there since the morning and has only increased in intensity - now it's like goblins hammering relentlessly at the back of her eyeballs. 

 

"go home," mina tuts, cool palm against her forehead. "i can always reschedule your meetings." then folds her arms and waits for the other girl to give in. stubborn jeongyeon wasn't the slightest bit endearing, contrary to popular belief - it was  _ really _ annoying to watch her keep up appearances. just because she'd been used to putting on a show for the old angels doesn't mean she had to do so here. it's her own company, and her own people - maybe she never got used to relying on others. 

 

jeongyeon groans. "thanks. i'll be back early tomorrow to finish this," she stands up. dumps the rest of the report on the table. bids mina goodbye, and heads over to the pharmacy. the headache is nothing unusual - sometimes it happens out of the blue, sometimes it happens right before jihyo's next reincarnation. mina thinks it's a sign (mina thinks  _ everything's  _ a sign), but then again she’s been in this long enough to know that nothing happens without a reason. 

 

she steps out of the blue light into the pharmacy. it's pretty run down, after generations and generations of half-humans running it. the _ one-stop for all solutions _ , according to the crooked sign hanging above the door. mostly true. mostly for deities, because human medicine doesn’t work on them. 

 

then her gaze falls on the girl sitting at the counter, and -

 

"chaeyoung? where's your grandmother?" she asks. feels the annoyance drumming at the back of her head. why would they let a kid run the pharmacy, when seventy percent of the recovery process comes from talking to granny, and being at the receiving end of her benevolent smile? no one really knew her name - legend has it that she was an old angel who got exiled because she fell in love with a human, and then subsequently started this pharmacy to help others in any way possible.  

 

"she's ill," chaeyoung deadpans. "therefore i am also ill, and skipped school." she doesn't look up from her phone. "what do you need?"

 

jeongyeon rolls her eyes. "i have a bad headache." 

 

the other girl sighs, a little too loud for her age. then finally puts down her phone and disappears behind the shelves. the one overhead lamp in the pharmacy isn't that bright, so there's a couple of pained yells before chaeyoung reappears with a flask of... something. 

 

"we're out of the usual, so you're gonna have to make do with this." she pushes the flask to jeongyeon. "it's three hundred dollars."

 

jeongyeon's jaw drops. " _ three  _ hundred? what the hell? the pills only cost me a hundred!" she narrows her eyes. "if i find out you're scamming me - "

 

"this is the good stuff, okay!" chaeyoung scoffs. "how dare you. i'm telling granny you said that." then shrugs, taking away the flask. "i mean, you can always choose not to buy it." the air stills, before dropping in temperature, and the counter starts frosting from where jeongyeon's hands are. but chaeyoung doesn't seem the least fazed, not even when the entire counter turns into an ice block -

 

"unbelievable," jeongyeon mutters. whips out her wallet and dumps the cash on the counter. "what kind of kid are you?" 

 

"a filial one," she grins, cash disappearing in the blink of an eye. "and also one who thrives on capitalism." chaeyoung winks, and mock bows. "have a nice day!" 

 

jeongyeon's eye twitches. then mutters something about satan's child, and leaves in a stormy swirl of ice - she has important matters to attend to. like her pounding headache. the three hundred dollars better be worth it, or she's definitely hunting chaeyoung down the next time they meet.

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


true to tzuyu's words, dahyun wakes up an hour later. starts stuttering and blushing and rambling apologies, because  _ it's late  _ and  _ i'm sure you have other things to do than take care of me  _ and nayeon doesn't really understand what's happening, but decides that red is a good look on the other girl. 

 

"not really," she ends up saying. "it's a friday night. don't you have somewhere to be?" rests her hand against dahyun's forehead. the fever is gone, and she wonders why she'd even doubted tzuyu in the first place. 

 

the other girl squirms at the touch. shakes her head. nayeon can't mask her surprise. friday nights for humans are like, super precious. usually spent meeting friends and family, away from the hectic work lives they lead. at least, that's what she'd learnt from working in the company, and her glimpse into the average human life. 

 

"you should get home soon. your parents must be worried," she adjusts that one piece of flyaway hair that doesn't seem to follow the rest. tucks it behind dahyun's ear. she's had one whole hour to worry about the other girl. and may or may not have spent the better half of it staring mindlessly, because dahyun  _ is  _ pretty. and has really, really good skin. 

 

but also because without the memory, nayeon would never have known that the girl standing in front of her was the very same one who freed her all those years ago. the same girl with so much kindness in her tiny body, and so much love to share. the smile dahyun gives her doesn't really compare to the one she remembers - it's blurred. her eyes aren't as bright anymore. no longer twinkles with naivety and innocence, like charcoal charred by the fire of hardships. then she remembers the deal she's supposed to hold up, and the guilt slams into her like a two ton truck -

 

"they're dead," the words are curt. comes out harshly, and it makes nayeon's guilt multiply tenfold. "died in a car accident. my grandmother, too." then seems to realise she's overshared, and laughs to compensate. but it sounds empty and broken and nayeon's heart twists painfully. the memory plays in her head like a broken record, and she wants to make it stop. tries to make it stop.

 

she steps forward. scoops dahyun into a hug, and holds her. the height difference is strangely convenient, and nayeon ends up pressing a kiss to her hair. but dahyun tenses up for a whole second before she returns the hug. It's a little awkward. 

 

"um," is all dahyun says, and nayeon doesn't know what she's doing wrong. it doesn't seem to be working. but the other girl feels really soft and it's actually  _ nice  _ and somehow she's not letting go. then thinks about how different things would be if she'd held up her end of the deal. because there's something about dahyun that screams  _ small  _ and makes nayeon want to protect her. maybe then dahyun's eyes would still sparkle with hope. today. 

 

something changes. it's like a dam breaking. the other girl melts into nayeon's embrace, and it's no longer awkward. "thank you," she breathes, hands fisting in nayeon's sweatshirt. then there's something wet on her neck, and maybe dahyun cries. but all nayeon can think about is how lonely it must have felt to have grown up alone, and how difficult it must have been. there's pride swelling in her chest. she makes a decision. 

 

"you did well," nayeon whispers. strokes dahyun's hair. "i'll be here for you always, okay? whenever you need me." breathes in the musk of her hair, and then looks her in the eyes. "i mean it. you can come over anytime. only if you want to. this place is a little too big for me anyway." 

 

dahyun smiles. nayeon thinks the black of her eyes aren't as dull as before. 

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


it's a thunderstorm. the thunderstorm they've come to expect every full moon, and chaeyoung thinks the old angels  _ really  _ need a more efficient communication system. but traditions outweigh everything else, and she can only wait. at least the lightning flashing across the sky is aesthetic enough. she snaps a few photos with her waterproof camera. maybe she’ll upload them on instagram, or something. 

 

granny closes her eyes. mutters her spells. they're both soaked to the bone because raincoats are useless at this point. but she tries to give granny as much energy as she can - she doesn't need it anyway. the older woman is shivering. plus, the cold never really bothered her anyway - she used to dream about being an ice princess. like elsa. maybe it's why she'd never known her parents.

 

the circle of chalk they're standing in starts to glow. granny opens her eyes. her irises are now white, and chaeyoung looks to her. waits for the cue to go, and -

 

"it's time." 

 

chaeyoung nods. pulls out the red orb from the pocket of her hoodie. walks toward the center of the circle, and places it down right where the markings are. steps back and counts to twenty. waits for the stars to align. being this near to the rain and the lightning always gives her an adrenaline rush, and she can already feel her hypersensitivity kicking in. 

 

then a lightning bolt strikes the orb exactly in the middle, and suddenly they're engulfed in red light. the sky turns bright red - only for a split second, but longer than the last time, before returning to its grey self. the grass around the circle is fried, but chaeyoung feels strangely alive. her fingers tingle and her blood rushes to her head. 

 

"they're getting impatient," granny mumbles. rubs her hands together. "they want the prophecy to be fulfilled soon. the one who glows under the blood sky will save humanity from eternal damnation."

 

"sounds really morbid," chaeyoung catches her hands. gives granny a little more energy. "but how do we know they're the one?" she asks. "how do we even find them?" 

 

the older woman looks to her, irises back to normal. "so many questions. just like your mother," she chuckles. "we will, child. we will. you have to trust them," then points to the sky. the thunder overhead booms loudly.

  
  
  


/  

  
  


"i have news." mina stands at the foot of her table. she'd usually drop everything for serious mina, but not today - there are three more reports to be finished, and it's already four in the afternoon. looks like it's another night in the office. maybe she should get mina to put a bed beside the couch so her back would stop hurting -

 

"yoo jeongyeon," her full name is called. this is serious business. "do you remember what jihyo was sentenced for?"

 

she stops typing. looks at mina, who is indeed wearing her serious face. it's always a touchy subject between them - jeongyeon tries to forget it ever happened, but mina always presses and presses and  _ presses  _ because she thinks  _ they're _ hiding something else. digging would only force jeongyeon to relive the whole thing, which is nowhere near her to-do list because she's still hurting -

 

"i remember it like it happened yesterday, mina.” she snaps. “what's your point?" 

 

"there's more to it," mina breathes. her eyes shine with something jeongyeon can't seem to place. excitement? "everyone thinks she killed a human child because of your daughter. even you." 

 

she grips the table harshly.  _ their  _ daughter. whom she only got to see once, before everything else unfolded so quickly no one could understand it fully before it was already set in stone. 

 

"she did _ , _ " jeongyeon spits. "only because we were fighting and i accidentally projected my anger on her." the air in the room turns frosty.  

 

"she didn't want to kill a human child, jeongyeon. she only wanted their essence so she could put it in your child to hide her with the humans." then there's a white file in front of her. the cover is glossy and translucent, and she narrows her eyes -

 

"read it. i asked sana for a favour," mina grins. "turns out i wasn't the only one investigating privately." 

 

the words on the file don't make any sense. they blur together. words like  _ human  _ and  _ alive  _ were previously unthinkable until now, and she doesn't dare believe it. but hard evidence is in front of her, in paper, and jeongyeon crumbles. feels the years of sadness and guilt pour out with reckless abandon. the small seed of hope she'd thought she'd forgotten about finally blooms into the prettiest flower - delicate yet bold. making it worthy of all the bitterness prior.

 

"oh my god," she whispers. mina squeezes her hand in return. she thinks she finally places the gleam in the other girl's eyes. "i have to find her." 

 

"no," the other girl's gaze is back to serious. hardens. "you can't. the old angels cannot know about her existence - "

 

"but she's my daughter! i  _ have  _ to - "

 

"yoo jeongyeon!" mina yells. mina never yells. there is fire in her eyes. "don't you understand? jihyo risked  _ everything  _ to protect her! and you're just going to let all of it go to waste?" tries not to shiver at the cold air in the room. she knew this would happen. because jeongyeon is always too impulsive for her own good, and never thinks straight. it's partly why she'd chose to stay as her assistant for all these years - because leaving jeongyeon to her own devices would result in a lot of bad decision making. there is nothing more than jeongyeon's happiness and well-being that matters to her, and that is how she will repay her debt. willingly. 

 

jeongyeon stops. the self-pity comes back in full force, and she laughs. bitterly. then accepts her fate. that she'll probably never be able to meet her daughter again, but knowing that she's somewhere out there  _ \-  _ her heart settles. 

 

"okay," she nods. "i won't." exhales shakily. then finds mina's hand and squeezes her gratitude. "i promise."

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


working in close proximity with the vice-president wasn't anything like she'd thought it would be. dahyun learns that nayeon is clever, but also crazy, and really, really nice. most of the time they're talking about everything under the sun, because there's been a lull in the industry, which means less work - no one is complaining (okay, maybe only the president). 

 

it's also a little weird. how quickly she'd let her walls down ever since that handshake, and how she'd woken up on nayeon's couch. she doesn't really remember - but being in nayeon's embrace was really... warm? safe. secure. and for the first time ever since the car accident, she'd slept well. no nightmares kind of well. no waking up in cold sweat. and the emptiness lingering at the back of her mind disappeared entirely. for once. 

 

but it also doesn't explain how she's been spending most of her time at nayeon's apartment. like their unofficial friday movie nights. like today. dahyun tells herself that it's only because nayeon lives much closer to the company  _ and  _ school, and travelling can be such a pain in the ass. but nayeon is a ball of energy and so fun to be with, and she has nowhere else to be. 

 

"hey. go get me more popcorn," nayeon's foot is in her face. tonight they're watching star wars: return of the jedi, because the high and mighty vice-president of yoo entertainment is a closet nerd. the couch is velvet and so, so soft that neither of them wants to get up.

 

"ew. get it yourself!" dahyun recoils. slaps the offending foot away. "it's your house,  _ miss im _ ," she says, mocking. then cries out in faux pain because nayeon's huge ass feet start poking at her sides.

 

"but the kitchen's so far away," the other girl whines. "aren't you my assistant?" 

 

dahyun huffs. glares at nayeon's puppy eyes. it's always like this - them joking around, and nayeon pulling the assistant card only when dahyun doesn't listen. she knows that the older girl is joking because they've talked about it before, but there are times like this when it reminds her of the underlying inappropriateness she'd tried to forget. of course, being a little too chummy with your boss gets the rumour mill going, especially since they've been spotted leaving the office together on multiple occasions. it's not like she doesn't know about it - there's been an increase in questionable looks directed at her when dahyun finds herself running errands alone, and as much as she tries to ignore it - it's getting under her skin. 

 

she stands up. gets the popcorn. dumps it in nayeon's hands, and tries to focus on the movie. but her mind is racing with thoughts that she knows aren't the least true, because nayeon has always, always been genuine. always there, with her gummy toothed smile and endless supply of hot chocolate and -

 

"what's wrong?" nayeon's hand is on her shoulder. concerned, but not pushy. dahyun blinks, and realises that the movie's been paused - there is only nayeon's gaze burning into the side of her face. "are you feeling unwell?" 

 

she shakes her head. jams the brakes on her overthinking. but the frown is still on her face and the words are dangerously close to the tip of her tongue - 

 

"i'm just your assistant," the words tumble out a little too easily. "why are you so nice to me?" dahyun is still staring at the screen. luke skywalker's bowl haircut is really ugly. but the blue in his eyes are light and holds her attention for awhile, until nayeon's face replaces luke's, and it's all she can see. 

 

"did someone say something again?" nayeon's eyes are narrowed. under the dim light they look a little gold, and this isn't the first time dahyun's thought about it. how the older girl's eyes are oddly familiar. they appear sometimes in her dreams - a pair of bright golden eyes fiercely staring back at her, but not the least bit terrifying. just a presence lingering at the back of her mind. 

 

she shakes her head again. feels her tongue grow heavy in her mouth. but nayeon purses her lips like she understands. scoots further away into the back of the couch, and sighs. loudly. 

 

"i'm nice to you because you're nice and i - " there's a pause. "you're free to go. anytime." gestures to the door.

 

nayeon is confident. self-assuring, determined and strong-willed - so when she sounds so meek like this it makes dahyun finally look over, and wow. the older girl has always been taller, but now, on the couch, wrapped up in one of her old blankets, nayeon looks tiny. small, scared, and then dahyun remembers that nayeon's probably just as lonely as she is, and - 

 

"i'm sorry," she mumbles. throws herself into nayeon. buries her face into the juncture between the older girl’s shoulder and neck, and breathes in slowly. calms her frantic mind that has no business making her spiral. because that's what their friendship is based on - both of their loneliness, and her questionable attachment to the vice-president of hers who gives the best hugs and kisses her forehead and tells her that it's okay. 

 

it should be alarming, how someone she'd met only a few months ago manages to put her back so easily. seals away her doubt and sadness, and melts her insecurities with a single touch. maybe there's already an alarm blaring - but the warmth she feels at her gut that spreads all the way to every single tingling nerve in her body makes her forget, and deaf to it. 

 

or maybe she just doesn't want to listen. 

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


the sky is black. the humans think it's a forecast for another thunderstorm, but nayeon knows better - something's  _ wrong.  _ she'd woken up with goosebumps all over her body and a weird nausea. it only intensifies once she steps out of the apartment and feels the very, very unusual stillness of the air.

 

there's danger. her flight instincts are triggered. she thinks of dahyun. wants to check in on the other girl in school at the other side of town, but the temperature in her living room suddenly drops and jeongyeon appears - blue eyes glowing, cane in hand.   

 

"you feel it too?" nayeon asks. calls upon her energy. feels her palms heat up. jeongyeon's already in her battle form. she rarely is, and if she is - it only means that shit's about to go down. and that nayeon had better suit up. 

 

jeongyeon nods. "we have to go," the other girl beckons, portal already closing. "tzuyu's summoned all of us. it's a code black."

 

code black? oh. the awakening. her eyes widen. in all her years, she's never encountered one - they've all heard the stories, of course, but it remains a myth to most. the black dragon, who lies asleep under the very crust of the earth. who awakens only once every millennium or so, as part of old traditions to maintain the balance between good and evil. has to be defeated by a deity chosen by the council, or something. she barely recalls the rest of it, because it's information she'd thought she'd never use - but then remembers that there have been deities who'd lost, and feels the panic start to set in -

 

"- go!" jeongyeon's voice brings her back to reality, and nayeon blinks. she feels herself being yanked into the portal -

 

the court is in chaos. there's fear in the air, for once - something she wouldn't have thought possible years ago. something that she’d thought deities weren’t capable of. everyone's talking at the same time, at different corners of the room. there is no order, and she spots tzuyu in the middle - her regal white suit makes her stand out in the crowded of angry deities demanding answers to questions nayeon's pretty sure tzuyu doesn't even know.

 

then jeongyeon nudges her. gives her a knowing look, and she grins. it's like they're back at the academy. she takes jeongyeon's hand, and closes her eyes. focuses on her mind. energy. feels the familiar buildup, and counts to three.  _ three, two, one -  _

 

they let go. there's a huge ringing that echoes throughout the court, and everyone falls silent. because it's at a frequency that pierces through all coherent thoughts. shuts people up in the fastest way possible. granted, they'd used to do it on the teachers to make them lose their train of thought, so that classes would end earlier - the academy is a stepping stone to learning essential survival skills. on your own. 

 

"i believe tzuyu has something to say?" nayeon claps her hand once. gestures for everyone to take a seat, and sees the silent  _ thank you  _ in the almighty's eyes. jeongyeon laughs. they take their own seats in the first row, together with momo and sana and some others whose names she can't really remember, and the briefing begins. 

 

it's short, and sweet. tzuyu's melodious voice booms across the hall. authoritative, and powerful. talks about the black dragon, and the stories. how it possibly comes hand in hand with the prophecy, that the one who 'glows under the blood sky' will 'save humanity from eternal damnation'. whatever that means. if the black dragon isn't defeated, the humans will be at risk of being corrupted - even more so, with evil tipping the scales. then talks about the previous deities who've faced the dragons - those who'd emerged victorious were those who fought with the purest of hearts, and nayeon tries to scoff as softly as she can. 

 

then tzuyu snaps her fingers, and an orb appears. in it is the name of the deity chosen to fight - she digs her nails into jeongyeon's palm. momo's seat has moss growing all over, and sana's eyes are closed -

 

but when her own name glows white on the glass wall, nayeon thinks she might have seen it coming. 

  
  
  


/ 

  
  
  


after living out almost a quarter of her life, dahyun thinks there's really nothing else that can impress her. but she realises she's wrong when chaeyoung takes her to the pharmacy - it's straight from the eighteenth century, and also a literal hole in the wall. 

 

"wow," she breathes. it's poorly lit, but chaeyoung says it contributes to the overall aesthetic, and dahyun has to agree. the shelves aren't the least organised, but still somehow manage to be presentable of some sort, and there's no one but them around. "you work here?" 

 

"yup." the other girl grins. dumps her book bag on the floor. "i live here too, with my grandmother. it's really cozy." waves her hand around. "pretty cool, right? you can look around while i get the ramen." then disappears behind the counter, and dahyun is still in awe.

 

there's a huge vase at the entrance. it's shimmering, with a strange liquid in it. reminds her of the pensieve. yes, she's probably watched too many harry potter movies at nayeon's apartment - but who's to say no when the older girl has a whole room full of blu-ray dvds? she moves closer. sees the intricate carvings on it. it’s in a language she doesn't understand, but it's beautiful all the same. 

 

the shelf beside the counter has all sorts of fancy trinkets. key chains. tiny bells, of different colours. they're cute. rings differently. the red one is louder than the black - it sounds like one of those christmas jingles she'd hear on the street all the time. maybe she'll ask chaeyoung for one of it to hang on her bike -

 

"dahyun?" chaeyoung's holding two cups of ramen. but looking at her weirdly. places them down slowly, and dahyun realises she's still holding the red bell to her ear.

 

"i'm sorry," she puts it back immediately. "it's just cute, and - "

 

"you can  _ hear _ them?" the other girl is still staring. rather incredulously, and dahyun pauses. doesn't really understand. it's a bell, and she's not deaf, so of course she'd heard it ringing. 

 

"...yes?" she asks. slowly. watches chaeyoung's brows furrow into a kind of concentration she's sure she's never even seen her show in finals. or when doing work. maybe it's the dim lighting, but chaeyoung's eyes glow a little blue, and it makes dahyun take a step back instinctively. 

 

the other girl blinks. the blue hue is gone, but the frown still sits on her forehead. she doesn't say anything, but dahyun sees the gears in her head turning. feels the chilly wind blow a little harsher from the windows, and move to close them - all while waiting for chaeyoung to do something. or say something. the silence is palpable.

 

then chaeyoung turns to rummage for something in the drawers, and holds out a pink pill. looks at her with trepidation in her eyes as deep as the ocean, and it makes dahyun's insides squirm. 

 

"do you trust me?" 

 

was she on a reality program or something? was she supposed to say yes, and then they'd start doing trust falls all of a sudden? she tries to laugh it off, but chaeyoung's seriousness is off-putting, and she grabs the other girl's hand. 

 

"of course i do," dahyun says. "you're my best friend. what's going on, chaeng?" then feels the pill being pushed into her hand, and chaeyoung's eyes bore into her own. again. it's intense.

 

"you've always talked about feeling like something's missing, right?" the other girl pushes. "i think this is your answer." then smiles. it’s cautious. the pink pill glitters, and dahyun wonders if it'll ever be this simple. if she could sleep properly again, and not let the emptiness swallow her whole. if she could find out exactly  _ what  _ her heart yearned for. a one-stop solution to all her problems, indeed. 

 

she pops it in her mouth. dry swallows, and feels chaeyoung coming closer. she's pulled gently towards the entrance of the pharmacy, right in front of that one shimmering vase she'd looked at earlier. the other girl points at it wordlessly, and dahyun  _ looks  _ \- it's different. the liquid ripples this time, and there’s suddenly an image projected on it. she sees a familiar face. nayeon? 

 

the older girl's hair is way longer, and much more unkempt. they're in a house. she barely recognises herself in her old school uniform, with her missing front teeth. they're talking. something about her wanting to help an old lady get out. oh. then she hears the words coming out of nayeon's mouth. the promise made right before the house was swallowed up by the sun. the bead of light pulled from her five-year-old self, before the images on the liquid fizzle out and dahyun is left with nothing but the bitter aftertaste of the pill. 

 

she still feels as empty as before.

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


it's been hours. nayeon's still on the couch. thinks she hasn't moved an inch from where she'd sat once she got home. spending so much time on earth clearly didn't do shit for her emotional development, because deep down she knows she's still the same girl who never really learnt to process them. 

 

like the shock of seeing her name on the wall. her going up against the black dragon. probably her punishment for that stupid jailbreak, and everything else. typical grudge holding angels. making her put her life at risk for humanity. she'd opened a portal immediately, leaving before anyone else could react, but jeongyeon'd managed to grab her hand and squeeze it once before she let her disappear, and that was more than enough. 

 

nayeon assesses her skills. critically. keeps her thoughts as realistic as possible. the last time she'd ever used her powers in a battle was... in the academy. ages ago. they weren't allowed to use their full extent of their powers on earth - at least, in front of humans. so how was she supposed to defeat this black dragon she'd known virtually nothing about with powers she hadn't used in years?

 

then tzuyu's words come to mind. to fight with the truest heart, and she starts thinking about it seriously. has to give it her all, because it's her life on the line here, and she's not about to lose to some dragon. feels her flames on her fingertips dancing with more intensity at her renewed determination, because part of her also wants to shove her victory in the old angels’ faces. to prove herself worthy, and to show them that she can take anything they throw at her. 

 

the fire burns right through her fear. the orange flames on her fingers turn blue, and nayeon smiles. knows she's still got it in herself. and that she's not going down without a fight that'll at least exhaust the dragon -

 

her front door swings open loudly. it's dahyun, looking like she'd ran across town (she probably did) just to get here in a hurry. she greets the younger girl enthusiastically. forgets the tangle of worry she'd spent the last two hours trying to sort out, but dahyun only stares at her and nayeon can't help but notice the absence of that twinkle she'd thought she'd managed to put back.

 

"why'd you do it?" it's monotone. "erase my memory. you made me forget a promise you were supposed to keep." she takes a step forward. "do you know what it's like? to feel like you're missing something?" 

 

nayeon is speechless. takes in the other girl's clenched fists and quivering lip, and realises that her secret is out. that somehow, dahyun's seen through her white lies of living an honest righteous life, and regained her memory. tries to salvage what's left of her dignity, and wants to worm her way out of this. because the more speechless she gets, the more she's left to stare at dahyun, and the more she's left to stare at dahyun, the more she sees the cracks in the other girl's eyes. it spreads like a spider web - fast, and even - exponential in a way that makes the hairs at the back of her neck stand. 

 

"i - "

 

the whites of dahyun's eyes turn black. there's a huge bolt of lightning flashing right outside the window, dangerously close to where they were standing, and nayeon's jaw drops. because the sky is blood red, and dahyun is  _ glowing _ . like the same shade of white her name glowed with. pure as snow, bright as light, and the words of the prophecy come to mind - 

 

the one who glows under the blood sky will save humanity from eternal damnation. 

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


tzuyu hasn't slept in two days. with the awakening, it's like the whole world's thrown into chaos. the old angels are getting antsy, and so are the deities - because the older ones keep pestering her about their possible return to the heavens, and it's the younger ones like herself who are strangely optimistic. they want to contribute. to help. but sadly they can't really do anything - only the chosen one can. 

 

the reports are piling up. sightings of zombies. natural disasters. an increase in the number of thefts, murder and deaths - it's soon. alarmingly soon, in fact. she'd spent the last few hours digging up old records, and found out that the last victory they had against the dragon was three millenniums ago. it took about a year for that dragon to fully awaken - the quicker the awakening, the stronger the dragon, and how was she supposed to tell nayeon?

 

plus, there were only four victors in their entire history. how disappointing. 

 

then the thunder crashes, and tzuyu looks up. it's louder than usual. probably carrying another message or something for her to decode. but then the sky turns blood red, and she watches in horror as the orb on the table starts to crack. the one the old angel left behind when he'd delivered the prophecy. it breaks into fragments so tiny they disappear with the wind - slowly, but surely. 

 

it's happening. she looks to the portal. waits for another message. now that part of the prophecy has been fulfilled, tzuyu's pretty sure it has everything to do with the dragon. and nayeon, probably -

 

there's a loud  _ crack,  _ and im nayeon appears in front of her, half of her body in flames. it's sweltering hot, and she feels sweat beading on her forehead almost instantly. there is nothing she hates more than the heat, and she has half a mind to put the older girl in a bind so that she'd be temporarily stripped of her powers, but the new and improved nayeon rarely looks this disheveled and shaken and -

 

"i found her," nayeon croaks. "the one in the prophecy. it's dahyun. the kid who set me free all those years ago."

 

there's a pin-drop silence. tzuyu waits. nayeon's eyes are still shifty, and the flames on her right hand are still horrifyingly blue. from the corner of her eye, she sees her beloved cacti withering under the sheer heat - but ignores it in favour of the matter at hand: kim dahyun. 

 

"the whites of her eyes turned black," nayeon continues. "i panicked and left, like i always do." then lets out a broken laugh. extinguishes the fire on her own body, and grabs the almighty's hand. tightly. "tell me what's happening, tzuyu. please?" 

 

in all the years they've spent knowing each other, tzuyu doesn't think nayeon has ever begged for something. or said the word 'please'. it's something to do with her gigantic ego and pride she's unwilling to put down. but the nayeon standing in front of her right now, pleading for her to make sense of the situation has tzuyu's heart in tatters -

 

she snaps her fingers. the files appear in her free hand, and she scans the information quickly. reads about previous victors, and finds out they had similar stories of them falling in love with a human - making them learn compassion, forgiveness, what it means to love with a true heart. and if the human didn't love them back, their chances of winning decreased drastically. 

 

"great," nayeon croaks. tzuyu realises the older girl had been reading, too. "so i'm supposed to make her fall in love with me to win?" chuckles darkly. "she already hates me." 

 

the temperature in the room finally drops back to normal. it's like nayeon has lost all fight in her. extinguished the golden flames in her eyes, and tzuyu decides that it's a new look on the older girl. but not her favourite one. because nayeon has always been associated with fire and light and energy, and tzuyu's a little lost. unsure. but grits her teeth because this isn't the first time they've been played by the old angels, and she's once again reminded that there's not really anything they can do but to go along with the flow. as best as they can. as she can.

 

"give her some time," she ends up saying. softly. places her hand on nayeon's shoulder. "she's definitely still human. the whites of her eyes darkening was probably just part of the prophecy coming true." strokes nayeon's hair. "you know how dramatic these things can get." 

 

is she a hundred percent sure? no. is she about to tell nayeon that? most definitely not. but one thing she's learnt from watching humans interact: false bravado gets you somewhere. most of the time, at least. because words uttered in confidence will help to put worries aside, even for awhile - and the respite from not worrying all the time makes for rational thinking that actually helps to solve the problem. 

 

it works. nayeon's walls are back up within the second, but tzuyu knows better than to believe the older girl's facade. knows it's the older girl's way of coping, because some things never change. so she plays along. nods and smiles with promises to be here if anything else happens, and sends nayeon off with half-hearted excuses that there are still reports to be verified, errands to be done, messages to be passed -

 

it's the best kind of distraction, to forget the pain in her heart. but at this point she's already too numb to care about anything else.

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


a few weeks pass. earth continues spinning on its axis, but the weather conditions have been rather extreme and unpredictable. heatwaves and hail on the same day? experts are dumbfounded, and forecasts are increasingly unreliable. 

 

her life is still more or less the same - nayeon wakes up. goes to the office. eats her salad. feeds whiskers. attends all her meetings. squabbles with jeongyeon over something stupid during lunch. jams the photocopier, and puts the blame on their dear president - who spends the next hour hunting her down. the only difference: dahyun. there's no more spontaneous sleepovers, no hanging out in the office after work. doesn't even look her in the eye when they talk, because it's  _ inappropriate  _ and whatnot. but the younger girl still does her work diligently, and only talks to her when it's work related, and nayeon thinks this might be what heartbreak feels like.

 

how ridiculous. love is stupid. she'd sworn to never succumb to it, because of what it did to both jihyo and jeongyeon. turned the smartest people she knew into complete fools, who couldn't see straight and made the stupidest decisions  _ because  _ of each other, and suffered the consequences. the worst part? they don't regret it. at all. she knows jihyo would do it all over again just for jeongyeon, and if this were a shakespearean tragedy she would have given a standing ovation, because love transcends all. 

 

but then her apartment has never felt emptier, and nayeon is desperate for company. specific company. it's not like she hasn't tried, you know. moving on. but all the other humans were so... bland. boring. no one else managed to capture her attention like dahyun did, and does this mean she's doomed? maybe. 

 

it's also not like she hasn't tried apologising. but how was she supposed to justify her poor choice of morals back then and not seem like an asshole? taking advantage of a child's naivety. using dahyun to escape, and leaving her all alone in the woods - feeling terrified, and like she'd forgotten something really important. a 'selfish bitch', according to dahyun, who had screamed at her the very first time, and there wasn't anything nayeon could do other than leave. 

 

who knew that a promise would mean so much to a human. so much so that they're willing to forget everything in favour of holding onto one (1) grudge. maybe the old angels were wrong after all. that humans weren't that different from deities, because they too hold grudges and are unwilling to forgive and forget. and how was she supposed to make dahyun fall in love with her when the younger girl won’t even speak to her? 

 

she stares at the calendar on her desk. at the date circled in red, because tzuyu is the real drama queen out of all of them. the almighty had even planned out a whole schedule just for her, in the days counting down to the final awakening - regularly scheduled training sessions, so she could brush up on her skills and actually win. but things don't ever go according to plan, because nayeon is sure that she doesn't stand a chance no matter how much she trains. even jeongyeon had stopped threatening her to attend, mostly because she's a master at deflection, and deep down she knows jeongyeon knows too.

 

that she's not going to win because her heart isn't true.

  
  
  


/ 

  
  
  


"it's to the left, momoring," sana grumbles. follows the dingy alley signs. "stop walking ahead of me!" then sends a really small gust of wind to whip up some of the dirt such that momo recoils in disgust and turns the other way. 

 

"you're too slow!" she steps back. feels for the flora deep in the earth and pulls it out. wants to make it wrap around sana's feet, but momo's so hungry and she knows it'll only delay their trip - so she ends up releasing them. "i'm really hungry," she stomps her feet. “you said we were almost there ten minutes ago - " 

 

"we're here." sana is suddenly serious. looks up at the lopsided sign, and reaches for momo. the pharmacy is small, but something about it makes her feel safe. like she'd stepped into a protective bubble. they've (read: sana) done their research, of course - knew about the wards lying around, keeping out evil as best as they can, and also repelling the old angels themselves. a safe haven, the file had said. or rather, jeongyeon herself. 

 

momo's hand finds hers easily. eyes glowing green as they harden, and sana squeezes her hand in return. it wasn't that serious, going on a super covert expedition like this one. just that if they'd gotten caught, they'd most likely be executed, and jihyo's hard work would have all gone to waste. well. but there was no way they were going to let that happen. not while they were both still breathing.

 

"hello?' she calls. waits. feels the palms of her hand start to sweat, and shit. what if they were wrong? what if they'd been following the wrong leads? what if the old angels knew about them sticking their noses into where they shouldn't be, and led them on a wild goose chase -

 

there's something tickling her hand. the one currently holding momo's. she lets go, only to see a small azalea sitting on her palm. it's her favourite flower, only because they had plenty of it in the gardens, and jihyo had spent most of her time grooming them personally because they were her favourite, too. they'd bonded over their shared love for the flower, and became close friends.

 

sana knows that it's momo's way of reminding her of their purpose. who they're doing this for. that it'll all be worth it in the end. but it's also momo's way of quietly supporting sana like she always does. ever since the academy. she takes a deep breath. finds strength in momo's hardening eyes, and feels the weight on her shoulders disappear. because nothing brings a smile to her face like an azalea - especially when momo tucks it behind her ear, and kisses her hair after. 

 

"hi." there's a girl at the counter staring at them. she's young. doesn't really look like either of her supposed parents, and sana frowns a little. but the information on the file was definitely credible - 

 

"why aren't you helping the customers?" another voice cuts through the silence. it's aged, but very soothing, and they turn in unison to see an elderly lady emerging from the shelves behind. the sight of her makes all her own worries disappear, and suddenly sana’s breathing so, so easy. the way momo loosens her grip on her arm tells sana it's happening to her too, and sana wants to laugh. because the stories turn out to be true: granny, who heals by her presence alone - there is no greater blessing. but then the grouchy girl starts sulking even more, and there's a shiver running down her spine. because the file  _ has  _ to be right - she's seen that signature sulk way too many times -

 

"but they haven't even told me what they're looking for, granny!" the girl snips. "they're probably here for the headache pills, like everyone else." then ups and makes to leave before either of them could get a word in, and momo snaps out of it faster than she does. plays along. says she's right, and starts complaining about a bad headache.

 

then it's only the three of them, and granny's eyes start twinkling. it's like she knows what they're really looking for, and sana feels vulnerable. exposed. briefly considers an escape route. but momo speaks before anything else -

 

"what's her name?" she asks. doesn't hesitate. also doesn't hold back, because out of the two of them, momo trusts more easily. tunes into moods and emotions way better than sana ever could, and she's thankful. playing hardball doesn't always work - she'd learnt it the hard way. like all other things in life. 

 

"i'm chaeyoung," the girl appears with a huff. puts the bottle of pills on the counter, and sticks out her palm. "it's a hundred dollars." 

 

sana forces down her giggle. because the resemblance might not be that obvious, but she's pretty sure chaeyoung has her mother's personality. the same stubborn, grouchy girl they grew up together with - life is beautiful, when things come back full circle. 

 

momo pays. they bow, and turn to leave -

 

 _she cannot know._ _they cannot know._ the words pierce through her mind. breaks her train of thought neatly into half, and the look in momo's eyes tells her she'd heard it too. sana looks back. chaeyoung's eyes are already glued to her phone, frown still in place, and granny stands behind. waves goodbye. 

 

she blinks in acknowledgement, and thinks they reach a mutual understanding -  that this is a secret they have to bring to their graves. 

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


jeongyeon is tired. her throat is hoarse with all the meetings she attended today, and she sighs. checks the date. it's two days before the final awakening, which means the battle is happening  _ really  _ soon, and nayeon is still the same stubborn idiot who seems to have lost all hope. 

 

she'd tried everything. convinced nayeon to apologise to dahyun. spoke to dahyun, after it didn't work out. but nayeon had emphasized again and again that she didn't want to burden the human girl, and so they'd left it at that. 'that' meaning pretending that nayeon wasn't about to walk into her grave, when there were still so many other things they could do to stop it from happening. 

 

even tzuyu had tried convincing nayeon. appeared in their meeting room without warning (thank god it was only the two of them), and demanded nayeon to follow her back to train, because she would be better off preparing herself by doing things she could actually control. and being the better person, she'd asked mina to cancel all their meetings that day, and dragged nayeon to the training center to spar. 

 

it was fun. but she knows that nayeon only did it because tzuyu asked, and she's not complaining. because it reminded her of their days at the academy, where all they did was fight. her with her endless icicles and nayeon with her stupid fireballs. they'd piss each other off and then apologise, and then fight. again. but that's the dynamics of their entire relationship, and jeongyeon isn't sure she's ready to let it go. 

 

"how much does dahyun know?" mina sets her own cup down. then settles into the chair opposite her desk. the aroma of the coffee makes jeongyeon want to puke - coffee is probably the worst human drink to ever exist. it's bitter, has no taste other than said bitterness, and keeps you up against your will? it's like letting yourself be controlled by something. willingly. humans have no logic. mina, too. but the disgust snaps her out of her own thoughts -

 

"not sure," she stands up. pushes open the windows for good measure. ventilation is key. "but i think she knows that nayeon's not human." turns the fan on full blast just to rub it in mina's face. "nayeon said she'd eaten a recovery pill from the pharmacy. from chaeyoung, the other intern?" doesn't wait for a response. "who also happens to be granny's granddaughter. the kid who mans the pharmacy occasionally. how small can this world get?" 

 

mina sips her coffee. recalls the information sana had relayed to her earlier this morning. that everything written on the file was a hundred percent true, verified by granny herself - and puts on her poker face. wants to tell jeongyeon so bad, but manages to tame her tongue only because there are better things to worry about. like nayeon. 

 

then the stack of reports on her table starts to smoke, and jeongyeon yells. 

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


the office is quiet. it's becoming more common, having the silence hum steadily in her ears. there is less movement, less activity - it's like everything is slowing down, and dahyun remains mostly clueless. it can't possibly be because of what happened to  _ them,  _ right? 

 

but her conscience won't let it go. knows that there's a possibility, because the timing coincides perfectly. how nayeon and jeongyeon have been strangely... solemn. it's nothing like their play (occasionally real) fights in broad daylight. they've been tight-lipped, straight to the point, and something is definitely off. 

 

then the emptiness in her starts to press against her ribs, and it hurts. because it was exactly what she'd wanted - to have nothing to do with any of them, and to complete her internship with no excess baggage. someone should have reminded her about being careful of what she'd wished for - because she actually got it. and then realised that hey, maybe it  _ wasn't  _ what she'd wanted after all -

 

"something's happening," chaeyoung is also unusually serious today. the pantry is empty, save for the two of them. because it's friday, and most people have already left. other than their always reliable president, and accompanying vice-president, who seems to be staying later and later these days. even without much work to do. "i feel like you should know about it. do you want to?" 

 

dahyun tries not to panic. ever since she'd recalled her lost memories, chaeyoung had given her the summarized version: that there are other races on earth, other than humans. that nayeon happens to be a deity of sorts, and that they're here because of a prophecy no one asked for. which explains why the nayeon in her botched memory and nayeon today still looks  _ exactly  _ the same, other than the hair and clothes. but dahyun doesn't really want to find out more, because it's like opening pandora's box - finding out that nayeon wasn't human already took the cake.

 

then the selfish part of her starts to think about nayeon. misses nayeon terribly, because their loneliness went both ways. misses the late night chats, the movie marathons, the constant presence of the older girl. the emptiness digs into every fibre of her being, and dahyun winces. it's technically her fault. maybe she should have listened. or given nayeon a chance to explain. there's nothing more painful than watching nayeon drink alone in her office every night, and it only makes the guilt in her chest snowball. because it's clearly eating away at nayeon. and dahyun hates how she isn't doing anything about it, because she's still  _ hurting _ . 

 

so the least she could do now would be to listen. learn. get to know the real world, and how to coexist with deities. like the real nayeon. nayeon the fire goddess, instead of nayeon the vice-president. nayeon, who's allowed to be sad and angry and be more than her silly jokes. nayeon, who's probably still the same sweet girl who hugs her when she's sad and kisses her to make it go away -

 

she nods. and hopes she won't regret it - because there is no going back.

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


she dumps her bag on the floor. flops down face first on her bed, and sighs. work has been tough these few days, because nayeon is back to her moods - disappearing whenever she wants to, leaving jeongyeon to clear all her work. it's an extra burden, but she doesn't blame the older girl - if the council had selected her instead, she wouldn't know where to begin.

 

the energy marbles on her bedside table glow. they're mostly sapphire coloured, other than the one purple one right in the middle. the last marble jihyo had pushed into her hands before she was dragged away. on most days it remains opaque, but on some days it shimmers. like today. jeongyeon is intrigued. because it means jihyo's energy is moving. probably leading up to the next reincarnation. the last one of them all, before they'd finally be reunited again. she reaches out. cradles it in the palm of her hand, and watches as it displays her favourite memory of jihyo - smiling up at her, from this very same bed. 

 

"i miss you," jeongyeon thumbs the marble. if she concentrates hard enough, it's as though she's touching jihyo. the very same soft ivory skin that always brings comfort, that always smells of azaleas. "just one more time, and i'll get to hug you again." she chuckles softly. "i hope you've missed me as much as i missed you."

 

the marble glows bright purple now. it's like jihyo's listening. jeongyeon smiles. 

 

"i hope you'll get to see nayeon too," she carries on. turns around so she's lying on her back. "she's been chosen to fight the black dragon. i'm so worried." her brows furrow. "so much has happened since you left, and it's like i'm missing the largest anchor in my life." 

 

the marble burns. scalds, and jeongyeon yelps in pain. drops it on the bed. 

 

"don't do that!" she blows on her palm. glares at the offending marble. prods at it with hesitant fingers, and picks it up again only when it's back to its normal temperature. 

 

"sorry. i know i said i'll be strong," jeongyeon mumbles. "just that it gets really hard, sometimes. like today. nayeon disappeared again, and it sucks, you know? not being able to do anything, but wait for the stupid prophecy to be fulfilled." sighs loudly. "i know she's scared."

 

the image on the marble flickers. then disappears, and then it's a photo of the three of them. back at the academy. fetuses, nayeon had always said. they're smiling, without a care in the world - it makes jeongyeon smile, too. it's their favourite photo. jihyo had made sure to print a few out and framed it almost everywhere, while nayeon and her had rolled their eyes, but she's pretty sure they both nicked copies of it when jihyo wasn't looking. 

 

"thank you, love." she closes her eyes. holds the marble right at her chest. lets her shoulders relax for the first time that day. because this isn't the time to be weak. she has to be strong - for nayeon, for jihyo, for all of them - it was the only way. 

 

the marble warms. she lets her imagination run wild. curls onto her side. the warmth spreads to her waist, her legs, her entire body - it's like there are familiar hands holding her tight. legs intertwined with her own. body heat reminding her of jihyo's larger than life presence -

 

and for the first time in forever, jeongyeon doesn't dream.

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


silence is her new best friend - only because it doesn't question. she doesn't have to deal with any more second guessing, and would rather spend the rest of the time she's left with daydreaming about things that she'd actually enjoyed in her life. reminiscing the good old days, and hoping that she'd have the good fortune of being reincarnated as another deity, again. in the next millennium or so. if she's lucky, jeongyeon and jihyo might still be around - jihyo should be done with her reincarnations by then, and nayeon hopes jeongyeon doesn't miss her too badly. 

 

the bottle of whiskey is mostly untouched. nayeon had poured out two shots for the road ahead, but jeongyeon hasn't said a word. hasn't touched it either. only stared at the shot like everything was its fault, and nayeon thinks it's a good thing - leaving the both of them to their own thoughts. they'd already argued too many times for it to actually mean something, and now there's nothing but acceptance. and the waiting. and the eventual goodbye. 

 

it finally hits her, the severity of it all. that it's going to be the end. no more resets. thinks about leaving jeongyeon behind, and realises what the other girl must be going through - having to watch someone you love meet their end is never easy, especially if there's nothing you can do to stop it. makes you feel like a useless piece of shit, and no. this is not how she's going to go. 

 

"it's not like i'm not coming back or something, right?" nayeon says lightly. tries to make jeongyeon smile. "i'm the goddess of fire, bitch. i didn't graduate in the top one percentile for nothing. i'm going to burn that dragon into ashes and i expect everyone to bow down to me when i come back." 

 

jeongyeon looks up. her eyes are startlingly empty, just like dahyun's ever since then. but nayeon pushes through. nudges the other girl playfully. "come on, jeong. you really think that little of me?" then fully commits herself to be loud, annoying, confident - like the mask she's always hidden behind. it's always reliable. has a hundred percent success rate, and nayeon has faith that it won't let her down tonight. "i'm going to kick the dragon's ass so hard it'll go back crying to all its other counterparts." puffs out her chest. "then they'll never come to bother us anymore." 

 

there is more silence. then jeongyeon's eyes glow blue, like she's finally there - feeling, thinking, and her lips curve up just the slightest. but it's already a win in nayeon's book; she grins. lifts her shot and holds it up. waits for jeongyeon to do the same, and when the other girl finally does, she clinks the glasses together. for better or for worse, she's always been thankful that they'd managed to be a part of each other's lives. always. 

 

the alcohol is rough. it's the only reason why she bothers drinking. a good, distracting kind of burn that helps her forget. 

 

"you're going to win," jeongyeon says. "i know it." then her lips curve into something nayeon hasn't really seen these few days - a real smile. a smile that reaches her eyes, that overflows with sincerity and love and nayeon hi-fives herself. tells herself that her mask has yet again proven to have a hundred percent success rate, and basks in her victory. but it's short-lived, because they've known each other way too long to not know when they're lying, and nayeon is sure that jeongyeon is - just like how she knows that jeongyeon knows that she too, is lying. 

 

then the electronic lock chimes, and the front door is opened. it's not like she's expecting anyone, but the sight of dahyun is enough to make her jaw drop. jeongyeon has the sense to make herself disappear in less than a second, the only evidence of her presence being the empty shot glass that sits on the table. 

 

"dahyun," nayeon breathes. stands up. "i - "

 

"why didn't you tell me?" dahyun whispers. closes the distance between them quickly, and nayeon sees her own reflection in dahyun's eyes. in the glittering tears pooled there - it's another distraction, she thinks. doesn't let her see the full extent of the younger girl breaking. some are hairline fractures she's seen before, but the smaller ones are definitely new, and she's so, so confused. 

 

there are hands on her face. nayeon can no longer look away. is forced to meet dahyun's gaze, and fuck. dahyun's touch is her very own kryptonite - puts out the fire that is her like it's nothing. her mask dissolves in an instant, and it's the first time it's failed her. what a shame. she's forced to meet her fears, and all of a sudden she's a scared little girl about to go into battle for the first time. 

 

"i'm sorry," nayeon mumbles. her knees buckle, but dahyun catches her easily. holds her up. there's something about the younger girl’s embrace that reduces her to tears. maybe it's the fact that she too, craves for an embrace as warm as this one. the shock of finally receiving something she'd so deeply desired is probably enough to render her an emotional mess. "i'm so, so sorry." she ends up sobbing. repeats the words over and over again. says it like her life depends on it, and maybe it really does. has to let it out before it eats her alive. but it's also something she's been wanting to tell dahyun for the longest time possible, because nayeon means it. 

 

dahyun pushes her into the couch. slowly. pulls her impossibly closer - because physical contact is comfort, she'd once said. but dahyun had only scoffed and moved even further away on the couch, and nayeon had pouted in return. so for the younger girl to actually care enough about her to remember - nayeon's heart soars. just a little. she's still afraid to hope, and is pretty sure it doesn't mean anything she thought it would -

 

then there are lips on her temple. on her hair. on her cheekbone, and nayeon is this close to combusting. she's still crying, but it's like an instant relief. having dahyun kiss her. then the familiar words of the promise she'd broken comes back to haunt her again, and she understands. realises that it's finally delivered. they'd both stayed true to it, after all these years, and she breathes easier. but it doesn't last, because the fear at the back of her mind makes itself known again - so real and tangible she feels it wrap its fingers around her throat. 

 

"i'm scared. i don't wanna die," nayeon cries. digs her fingers into the younger girl's waist, and shatters like the glass she's always been. transparent to her own feelings, and cracks under pressure - like now. but in her emotional haze, nayeon feels fingers on her jaw. prodding softly, curling just so it makes her head tilt up. the tears in her own eyes make dahyun deserving of the light she's bathed in - like an angel sent to her just to set things right. to teach her to be human. to grow, and to understand what it means to love.

 

dahyun moves closer. nayeon blinks, and the very same pair of lips that were on her hair are now pressed against her own. soft, certain, and so soothing it makes nayeon close her eyes. because if this was how she was going to go, she'd have no regrets - she thinks she finally understands what it was that possessed jeongyeon and jihyo, and realises that she too would willingly turn into a fool.

 

then nayeon's chest starts glowing the same white that dahyun glowed with, but they're too wrapped up in one another to notice. it eventually fades, and all that's left is a tiny thread of silver that links them together, chest to chest.

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


the sun doesn't rise. the sky is gloomy, borderlining on black - an accurate reflection of her current mood. it's like night again, except that it's twelve noon, and news outlets worldwide are going crazy with the weather forecasts. experts are clueless at the unexplained phenomenon, with some predicting the possibility of an apocalypse, and tzuyu rolls her eyes. it's lowkey annoying, how humans are always overreacting - it's just for a few hours. until the battle is won, of course.  

 

she arranges her cacti. measures out the exact amount of water momo told her to, with a graduated cylinder. because she's not about to take any chances. not too little, not too much, but just the right amount - especially when watering the largest one out of the bunch. the very first one she'd owned, that was with her through thick and thin - the one she secretly loves the most. favouritism is unfair, but most other things in life are, too - it's how you work around it that matters. because sometimes life throws you lemons, and all you can do is eat it, and learn to love it. 

 

(maybe she'll name it nayeon.)

 

they're all worried. jeongyeon had appeared late last night. said something about how nayeon finally has a chance because dahyun had forgiven her, and tzuyu had smiled. because all that mattered was nayeon's existence. something that she doesn't want to lose.

 

the one with the truest heart. maybe the older girl had finally filled the shoes she was destined for. to be the savior of mankind - the one they'll all be indebted to. tzuyu is proud. because nayeon had always been destined for greatness, being a child of the flames. lighting the way to the better world, igniting passion in others, and uniting them all. another peaceful era of coexisting with the humans, maybe.

 

_ please come back _ , she wants to yell. but knows her words will be drowned out by the strong winds and booming thunder, so she waits. has faith. looks at the cactus sitting on the front of the table, and prays. 

 

then the sky lights up. there's a streak of orange, as though slicing the sky into two. it overflows, and increases in intensity - so much so that tzuyu has to look away. but then the lighting in her office seems a little too bright for the day, and she looks out of the window -

 

it's bright. the sun shines, magnificent as day, and tzuyu sighs in relief.

  
  
  


/

  
  


she wins, obviously. comes back bruised and battered, and uses the last of her energy to stumble into her apartment. because the worst is finally over, and she  _ won.  _ isn't going to die anytime soon. fought with every single ounce of courage and strength she'd painstakingly accumulated over the years - but nayeon isn't stupid. knows the true reason behind her victory: fighting with a true heart. just like the prophecy dictated. 

 

everything had clicked in place, just minutes before she'd stepped through the gate to face the dragon. waking up with dahyun in her arms - it made her feel peace, like never before. like the world had stopped spinning, just for them to exist in their little cocoon of blankets. for her to treasure every second with the girl she loves, before going to meet her fate. the inevitable. receiving dahyun's forgiveness was a whole redemption arc she'd thought would never happen, because some grudges are difficult to let go of. especially the ones that hurt the most (she would know).  

 

dahyun's there, just like she said she would be. she's on the couch, hugging something nayeon recognises as the sweatshirt she'd worn to bed last night. she's all cuddled up on the huge couch, looking impossibly small - nayeon grins. her heart swells, because  _ this  _ was something she'd always, always want to be able to see. doing everything,  _ anything  _ just to protect the girl smiling up at her like she's her favourite thing in the world. the one thing that kept her grounded throughout the entire battle.

 

maybe that was what the prophecy meant, after all. to fight with no reservations. to have the courage to fight for the things you love. for the people you love. to be willing to sacrifice, for the greater good. 

 

"hi," dahyun stretches out her arms. waits for a hug. nayeon reaches out, only to falter - her legs are jelly and she's so tired, but the other girl is right there to catch her. again. the calmness settles over her pounding heart. seeps into her shaking hands, and slows her breathing. because this is what victory tastes like: sweet, and without an ounce of worry. 

 

"hi," she breathes in everything that is dahyun. it's always light. floral, maybe. the cure to the exhaustion in her bones, and she feels her legs strengthening. it's crazy, how fast her body recovers with the younger girl around. "i promised i'd come back, and i did," nayeon sticks out her pinky. "remember?" 

 

there are tears in dahyun's eyes. they don't fall. it makes her eyes glimmer with unmuted happiness. there's that twinkle again, the one she'd thought was gone for good. her heart skips a beat. the cracks have mostly healed - there's still an inkling of a few, the largest one courtesy of nayeon herself, and she still feels guilty. but it is progress, and every step counts. no matter how small.

 

"you did," dahyun kisses her cheek. "thank you." then nayeon learns that dahyun's really, really happy smile is blinding. it's like a whole explosion of joy, radiating happiness. also very, very infectious and before she knows it, nayeon's returning the smile. because if  _ this _ is what she gets for keeping her promise, she should have done so years ago, and wouldn’t have missed out on so much time. but there would be time for more of it, like they'd talked about yesterday. moving forward, and not looking back. no more regrets. 

 

then the temperature in the air drops, and there's a loud crack. nayeon looks up. in the middle of the living room stand jeongyeon and tzuyu, who both look like they were up all night. she feels the pang of guilt, and releases dahyun instinctively - 

 

jeongyeon crushes her in a hug. it hurts, but the pain reminds her that it's real. that she's still alive and breathing and feeling. so she gets herself together just to return the hug with as much strength as she has left. conveys the apologies, appreciation, and love as best as she could, because actions always speak louder than words.

 

tzuyu only smiles. pats her shoulder lightly, and nods. it feels a little distant. maybe it's just the exhaustion messing with her judgement. then there's a vial left on her coffee table, something nayeon recognises as an energy potion of sorts. it helped in recovery, especially after long training sessions - the academy had been so stingy on giving it out, and she remembers how they'd eventually resorted to asking sana to create a distraction before sneaking in to steal some for everyone right before the final tests. staying up all night just to perfect some of their powers was no easy feat, but somehow they’d made it.  

 

the good old days. they're a step closer to returning to that life.  _ soon,  _ she thinks. 

 

"bow down bitches," nayeon stands tall. pushes jeongyeon away. "i made it back." then whips out her phone faster than the speed of light to snap a photo of jeongyeon actually bowing, after rolling her eyes. tzuyu disappears in her trademark cloud of smoke, and dahyun's laughter rings throughout the apartment -

 

this, nayeon thinks, is probably what it feels like to love.

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


momo gulps. reaches for sana's hand absentmindedly like she always does. there is no place that terrifies her more than court, because it's where shit always happens. it's like deja vu: she remembers watching jihyo's trial while sitting right in this very same chair, and tries to resist the shudder that threatens to slither down her spine -

 

"she's fine, momo," sana whispers. "she'd fulfilled the prophecy, remember?" rubs the inside of momo's wrist. it's the fastest way to get her to relax. a switch she herself didn't even know about, until sana had stumbled upon it during one of her meltdowns. she feels the blood rush subside, because she's definitely overreacting. wants to lean over and whisper her thanks, but the portal starts glowing, and one of the old angels appear in his court robe. it looks a little tacky, but momo’s not stupid enough to say it out loud.

 

this one's the judge, she thinks. the very same one who sentenced jihyo. and nayeon. he walks to the stage, wings folded neatly behind his back. tzuyu is there, handing him files - the hall falls silent. it begins. 

 

nayeon is called to the front. she looks different, from the last time they met. walks with a new confidence. there's a lukewarm glow right beneath her skin, making her look healthier. better. the judge speaks. recaps the prophecy. then reminds everyone of nayeon's colourful history of going against the laws put in place, citing it as enough reason for the council choosing her to fight the black dragon. the girl in question has the balls to snort, right in front of the judge himself, and the silence thickens -

 

he clenches his jaw. clears his throat, and continues. talks about their success in restoring good and evil. what this means for the humans, and the community in general. for the greater good. momo tunes out a little, because sana's hand is suddenly on her thigh. there are fingers scratching lightly right at the hem of her dress, and she bites her lip. turns. but of course sana is looking ahead, back ramrod straight like the model student she used to be -

 

there's a thunderous applause. momo blinks. swats sana's hand away. because they're supposed to be  _ serious _ , listening to the fate of one of their friends. it's probably something good, given how nayeon's beaming at everyone from the center stage. the judge's jaw is tense as he continues reading aloud from his file, monotonous as ever -

 

" - hereby crown im nayeon as the fifth saviour of humanity, bestowing upon her a clean slate for all of her past deeds." his voice booms across the hall. jeongyeon hollers, and everyone joins in easily. because at the end of the day, it’s a collective victory - one for their kind, and deserves to be celebrated. but then the judge clears his throat, and the hall falls silent immediately.

 

"as per section two, paragraph nine: victors are entitled to one wish from the old angels." he deadpans. turns to look at nayeon. "and what might that be?" 

 

momo narrows her eyes. from her seat, she can already see the mischief dancing in nayeon's eyes. just like their days at the academy. beside her, sana chuckles softly - they already know nayeon's going to ask for something ridiculous, something no deity has ever asked for, because im nayeon is nothing but daring and always living life on the edge. 

 

"i want you to make a human immortal." 

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


spring is jeongyeon's favourite season. because it's not that warm, and the flowers are always a sight to behold. jihyo loves flowers, and she loves jihyo - therefore she loves flowers. but those in her own backyard have yet to bloom, so where were all these petals coming from?

 

she bends down. picks up one from the ground. it's pink. strange. she's never owned plants with pink flowers. then takes a closer look, and her eyes widen. it's an azalea petal. the pink ones from the gardens. jihyo's favourite. the ones she would spend the whole day watching, watering, and jeongyeon would spend the whole day watching jihyo instead. 

 

she gasps. looks up at the sky. stares at the sun that shines brilliantly, as though making up for its absence a couple of days ago. it's clear, and sunny, and the air has never felt fresher. then it's like they know she's watching, because more and more petals start falling. jeongyeon catches one mid-air. brings it to her nose and breathes in - she  _ swears  _ it smells exactly like jihyo. 

 

was this a sign? she hates how cryptic their kind can be. but her heart starts to hammer with worry and the anxiety building up makes her clench her fists, crushing the petals in her palm. she snaps her fingers. steps through the portal she'd just opened straight to tzuyu -

 

"jeongyeon!" tzuyu is grinning. it's very, very uncharacteristic, but the sight makes some of the anxiety fade away. tzuyu's standing with her hands clasped, as though waiting eagerly for her arrival -

 

"i knew you would come. i have news." she continues. jeongyeon takes a deep breath, because they hardly ever receive any good news. the last time she was called to court she'd been given a harsh lecture about her 'abuse of power' and 'collusion' to help nayeon escape, and was sent away with heavy supervision and forced to lay really low. but this time, tzuyu looks like she's about to implode if she keeps quiet for a second longer -

 

"spit it out," jeongyeon raises an eyebrow. "it's about jihyo, right?" 

 

tzuyu nods. "the old angels were feeling merciful because of nayeon's victory," then her eyes curve into the small moon crescents jeongyeon hasn't seen in a long time. "it was time for her last reincarnation as a human, but they decided to shorten it, so she's officially reincarnated as a goddess. she's free!"

 

free. jihyo's finally free. she stands there, like a dummy. doesn't know what to do, as tzuyu squeals and crushes her in a hug. this is the day she's waited for, since forever ago. the relief hits her right in the chest and knocks out all the air in her lungs - the tears have been a long time coming.

 

she cries. cries for all the nights she'd spent alone. cries for all the times she should have. cries for the guilt that still smothers her sometimes, because jihyo didn't have to take all the responsibility. she still remembers it vividly, like a recurring nightmare - how she should have objected to the sentence. said something. done something. but she'd been scared shitless and watched it all play out because she's always been the weaker one.

 

it’s no longer like what it was in her scarecrow dreams. it's a new beginning. she feels herself purging out all the regret, because they'll finally be reunited. soon. opens her palm to stare at the slightly wrinkled azalea petal, and brings it to her lips - just a little longer.

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


dahyun isn't really competitive. she thinks she's more of the go-with-the-flow kind of person. if she wins? cool. if she loses? that's cool, too. but lately, she's discovered that this philosophy of hers doesn't work whenever nayeon is around. because when nayeon wins one of their stupid bets, the older girl turns into a cocky piece of shit and it drives dahyun crazy.

 

like now. like how they're at one of their go-to diners, and fighting over a chocolate milkshake. because nayeon is the annoying idiot who always refuses to order her own, and then ends up drinking all of dahyun's. but not today - she will no longer stand for such disrespect. 

 

at least the older girl had the courtesy to get another straw. so here they are, bent over the table, lips not leaving their straws - because she's not about to let nayeon win. again. the competitiveness flares up, and she speeds up her drinking. sucks a little harder on the straw when she meets the older girl's fiery gaze.

 

then the brain freeze hits, and dahyun winces. has no choice but to let go of the straw, and rubs her temples. hears nayeon's obnoxious slurping as she finishes the entire milkshake, and prepares herself for the worst - the endless gloating.

 

"no fair!" she whines. "you're like, the goddess of fire. of course your brain doesn't freeze,"  dahyun pouts. to which nayeon only sticks out her tongue, and proclaims herself as the 'goddess of drinking milkshakes', with her chin sticking out and her nose in the air. maybe the fries on her plate look better on the older girl's face. 

 

"you're immortal now, you can't complain," nayeon jabs her arm playfully. "it's a power, too, and you're the only human who has it." then smirks, and dahyun rolls her eyes. huffs and looks away. counts to three because nayeon was definitely wrong - her pouts are the most powerful thing about herself. not her immortality, or any other thing worth less than having nayeon wrapped around her little finger. 

 

_ three, two, one - _

 

there are familiar arms around her waist. nayeon's on her side of the booth now. noses into her jaw, and whines out an apology. it gets muffled by her hair, and her own pulse thudding in her ears - because as much as she hates to admit it, nayeon's got dahyun wrapped around the other girl’s little finger, too. every touch still sets her body on fire (haha) and turns her into a stuttering mess. 

 

so she doesn't talk. settles for turning around. nayeon is close enough for dahyun to see the gold flakes in her eyes. the ones that glitter in the daylight. it makes her heart ache, because it's how nayeon has always looked at her. adoration, love, with an intensity that could move a mountain, and it makes dahyun reflect a little on herself. wonders if she's as deserving of nayeon's affections as she thought she was. because at the end of the day, she's just kim dahyun - an ordinary girl who was roped into freeing the fire goddess.

 

it's why she'd declined the offer at first. immortality? what a joke. she could never imagine living up to a thousand years old. the world is as lonely as it is, and there would be no point struggling alone. but nayeon had promised her that she wouldn't be alone. begged and pleaded and had wanted them to spend  _ eternity  _ together. excuse me? they weren't even married, let alone been together long enough for that.  

 

then the older girl had let out a few dramatic tears - something about not wanting to lose the love of her life, and dahyun had all but turned into a puddle of goo. all jokes aside, there's always an underlying seriousness whenever nayeon talks about it. because facts will always remain facts - that her life had indeed been turned upside down the moment she walked into that stupid house in the forest all those years ago. it's something she doesn't regret, because it brought her to nayeon. taught her that life isn't a journey alone, despite what it seems like, and that there's always more than meets the eye. 

 

like nayeon. because under all that inflated confidence is a scared little girl - just like dahyun herself. someone who craves happiness, as simple as that. a basic right to life. and who are the old angels to deny her of that? 

 

"are you okay?" nayeon's voice pulls her back to reality. there's concern in her eyes. dahyun thinks it makes her look very, very human. then she feels a kiss pressed at the top of her head, and dahyun's heart soars. up, up, and away into the cushion of clouds right below the sun. it's warm. it's a new feeling, really, after getting used to the emptiness inside for so many years. to finally feel whole again, and normal, and to finally know what it means to be truly happy. 

 

so she nods. still doesn't trust her voice to work, or her mouth to put her feelings into words. then turns her head to kiss nayeon. it's slow and gentle, like the real nayeon she's gotten to know, and hopes to the old angels that the older girl understands everything she doesn't have the courage to say out loud. 

 

because with nayeon by her side, forever - there's no more reason to be sad. the promise they'd made no longer has any value, and maybe it's time to close that door for good.

 

she grins. "buy me another milkshake." 

  
  
  


/

  
  
  


the pharmacy is unusually crowded today. and by crowded, she means more than one person, because it's usually just herself. jeongyeon thinks it's probably the change of season - it's getting warmer now, and people like her aren't really used to the hot weather. it takes a lot more energy to manipulate the cold, and all the late nights don't help - her headaches are coming in more often than not. 

 

granny isn't here again. it's just chaeyoung at the counter, hurriedly dispensing as much as she can. the two others in front of her leave quickly after grabbing their prescriptions, and it's just chaeyoung and her. like any other day. but the other girl is less grumpy than usual, and jeongyeon has to bite her lip to stop herself from asking and sticking her nose into other people's businesses because her plate's already flooded with her company's major reform -

 

"hey! you like azaleas too?" chaeyoung points at her. more specifically, her shirt pocket, and jeongyeon looks down. it's the azalea petals from this morning. she'd gotten momo to piece some of it together, to restore it. bring back some of its past glory as a flower. then thought about wearing it around just to feel closer to jihyo. to keep her close at all times.

 

she nods. "you like them too?" briefly considers smiling, but the pain in her head is threatening to split her skull into two, and it reminds her of her actual purpose. 

 

"yeah!" the other girl nods. starts smiling all wide and happy like never before, and jeongyeon is lowkey fascinated. because chaeyoung's default mood at the pharmacy is a grumpy, and unwilling - it's like talking to a whole new other person today. "granny says my mother loves them, too. when she was around, at least." 

 

jeongyeon freezes. "your mother?" 

 

"yeah. apparently she used to grow them," chaeyoung continues, eyes lighting up. "oh, the most amazing happened this morning. when i woke up, my bed was full of azalea petals!" she squeals. "the pink ones. just like the one in your shirt pocket."

 

the air is suddenly suffocating. or maybe it's just her brain going into overdrive, and she's not sure if she's processing things correctly. because what were the chances? and jeongyeon's been a deity long enough to know that coincidences are usually orchestrated. then she takes a good look at chaeyoung, for the first time ever.

 

there's so much life in her eyes when she talks about the azaleas. it's overflowing, and infects everyone nearby - jeongyeon feels the pounding in her head slow to an occasional throb. the disbelief settles right at the bottom of her stomach, because it's been so, so long since she's felt anything like this. to be calmed just by looking at someone talk about the things they love. it's  _ exactly  _ like what jihyo used to do, and it's also enough for jeongyeon to realise very, very belatedly, that she might actually be right. 

 

"oh," she looks away. "she has good taste, and so do you. i'm sure she would have been proud." then remembers what she'd promised mina, and decides to keep her mouth shut. struggles to swallow the words hanging on the tip of her tongue.

 

chaeyoung grins. it's a little wistful now. dulled at the edges, and it tugs on jeongyeon's heartstrings. because growing up alone isn't easy. but she didn't, because there's granny, and that's more than enough. that she's in good hands. hands way better than her own. 

 

her headache fades away. jeongyeon musters up enough courage to look up one last time. feels proud. resolves to be back when she manages to stomach the shock, with jihyo by her side.

 

"hey." she approaches the other girl. "i know a girl who loves azaleas as much as you do." smiles when she realises she might be laying everything out for all of them. but some things are always worth it, no matter the price. "i'll introduce her to you the next time i visit, okay?" then sticks out her fist in hopes of the happy ending she might finally get to live out. 

 

so when chaeyoung's fist meets hers firmly, jeongyeon swears right there and then to do everything in her power to make things right. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> @xylomyloo on twitter yeeet


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